Picking out hooves

[Daneva]

Do you all pick out your horses hooves daily.

I do, but many people have said not to bother when they see me picking up a very muddy hoof and getting my hands covered in mud.

[Herbie's mummy]

wow i live where you live :D LOL sorry!
To tell you the truth i only pick out before and after i ride.

[jovi_y2k2]

yes i do as star comes in from the field with feet full of stones, i hose his legs of first before picking them out he gets great big clods of mud stuck to his feet.
incidently was picking his feet out this afternoon when he came in from the field and kicked out with his back leg and walloped me across the chin:( a trip to A&E for me and 3 stitches!! :rolleyes:

[Herbie's mummy]

our place is sandy not stoney :)
So his feet are never bad any way. oh and no mud lol.

[eventerbabe]

every day, twice a day. whether legs are muddy or not. you never know what they might have lodged in there so i'm very diligent at picking their feet out.

[Keket]

I do it when the horse is being worked, and I do it twice, before work and after work.

[Pink's lady]

yep, they get it done every day. They're all barefooted so thrush can be a problem.

They only come in to be worked so they get their feet picked out whilst in the field and are having their legs etc checked over.

[teabiscuit]

yep, they get it done every day. They're all barefooted so thrush can be a problem.

.

is thrush more of a problem in unshod horses then PL?

[Peanut]

is thrush more of a problem in unshod horses then PL?

Had the farrier out yesterday and he said the same thing and it's very widespread at the moment with the wet weather.

[Giveitago]

I dont pick out every day and when I do I look for the stones, debri and check the shoe fitting, I leave as much mud in as possible, just as nature intends! Depending on where we've been I'll check when we get back to the yard too.

I think it's funny that people wouldnt bother picking out feet just because their hands would get dirty- i suppose they wear pegs on their noses to hide the smells too!

[becs]

they get their feet picked out whilst in the field Ok tell me the truth PL - do you put a headcollar on to do this? I'm really naughty and often pick out our 2 ponies in the field, nagging them to stand still. Just intrigued if I'm the only naughty one here.

[Guest]

I pick out at least once a day as Bry is barefoot and yes Thrush is more common in barefoot horses, Brys had it for 2 1/2 months now and it's nearly gone....gggrrrhhh

[Guest]

I pick out at least once a day as Bry is barefoot and yes Thrush is more common in barefoot horses, Brys had it for 2 1/2 months now and it's nearly gone....gggrrrhhh

[domane]

Oh - oh Bobbin... I'm seeing double!!! :p

Chez gets hers picked out daily, whether I ride or not (another barefoot too!!)

[bexj]

Daily for me, Molly suffers from Thrush, so I need to pick them out very regularly.

[*millie*]

Pride gets his picked out at least once a day :)

[Pink's lady]

Ok tell me the truth PL - do you put a headcollar on to do this? I'm really naughty and often pick out our 2 ponies in the field, nagging them to stand still. Just intrigued if I'm the only naughty one here.

Headcollar, what's a headcollar?:o Nope, they are all done without and all offer their feet up for it. The worse they ever do it wonder off. Don't know how having a headcollar on would help - I couldn't reach to hold a back leg and a headcollar.

I dont pick out every day and when I do I look for the stones, debri and check the shoe fitting, I leave as much mud in as possible, just as nature intends!

um, that's how you get thrush. Nature never intended them to have mud in their feet - they are unshod, lived on sady soil, walked mile and miles everydau and have a 'natural' shape: flat, shallow clefts and sulus with no space over the sole. My barefoot lot have only the frog clefts dug out so they don't get thrush there.

is thrush more of a problem in unshod horses then PL?

Yes and no. Horses with contracted heels due to shoeing (very common) have a very narrow sulcus where, if thrush establishes, it's impossible to get to. Bare foot horses have wider sulcus and cleft so less pockets. BUT their entire foot is closer to the wet muddyness, the frog is bigger and more surface for the thrush to yippee and it's noticed more since, if your horse is barefoot, you proabably spend quite a bit of time messing about with their feet. I'd have said most shod horse I've seen have mild thrush to an extent but it's never noticed much less dealt with - shod horses don't need their frog in the same way barefoot horses do.

[MelanieD]

Barefoot horses don't get thrush more than shod horses, it's just that owners of barefoot horses are more likely to be hoofpick sniffing anoraks who reach for the borax at the smallest hint of ickyness. It also takes less thrush to have a noticeable effect on how comfortable a barefoot horse is. Barefoot horses with healthy frogs and a decent growth rate rarely get thrush and if they do it's usually just a little bit of surface ick that doesn't do major damage. I've had a lot less problems with thrush since having barefoot horses but what I'd call thrush and treat now is stuff I'd have barely noticed with shoes on.

I usually pick feet out at least once a day and at least check them quickly before and after a ride.

[Bay Mare]

Barefoot horses don't get thrush more than shod horses, it's just that owners of barefoot horses are more likely to be hoofpick sniffing anoraks who reach for the borax at the smallest hint of ickyness.


LOL, how true is that :eek: I knew that I'd reached the point of no return when I sniffed at her hoof :eek:

Definitely pick out at least once a day and usually give them a good scrub as well. I found a (dead) mouse curled up in her foot once when she was shod :eek: My friend found a wedding ring and then, of course, there are stones and bits of gravel.

[Jessey]

Not really, I do it as and when they need it, if it is really damp and warm out I tend to do it more to keep thrush at bay, when their feet are struggling I will do it twice a day, but when its dry in summer and on our sandy fields I will just check them a couple of times a week and pick if need be :D

[Trewsers]

Strange people! if you don't like mud on your hands then don't have a horse (specially in winter I mean). Pick our two out twice daily - even if they're not being ridden. I wouldn't like leaving in my bedroom all evening with stones in my slippers......heheh

[colettybetty]

In winter mine get done when they come in, to remove the stones and again in the morning to remove any poo from the stable. If it weren't for the stones I'd leave them with the mud in as a barrier from the urine and poo which is more likely to give them thrush.

[Mary Poppins]

I get a bucket and a water brush and get rid of the mud before I pick out the feet. I do it everyday regardless if they are working or not and again after hacking (although I do admit that I don't bother picking out again if we have just been in the school).

[Zer0]

I pick May's hooves out whenever I groom her. She doesn't live in a very muddy area, but she might gets stones in her hoof. The majority of things that get in her hooves are poo and dirt though :p

[angelfben]

Alps get's checked twice a day - before and after riding - but more often than not his feet are clean, any mud is knocked out walking across the yard so it's usually just the bits of rubber from the arena I pick out

Mav & Rusty are both unshod and live out, they get their's checked as and when to be honest, there's no point picking mud out of feet that are going to be stood back on it straight after ;)

[Daneva]

OK, so what about washing his hooves/lower leg before picking out. Sometimes I do this but I'm not really sure whether this is the best thing to do.
Should I dry his legs/feet afterwards or let him dry naturally.